The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-03-12
BULLER'S TESTIMONY.

The General Denies that He Made the Sem
sational Statement Attributed to Him.
LONDON, March 11.-General Butler declares
that the version Of his evidence before the Land
Commission, published yesterday. was untrue.
He denies that he made any statement about
the subject. He says it was not even indirectly
alluded to while he was before the commission.
scrutiny of the official report, issued to-day.
shows that the mistake arose from the blending
of passage in Commissioner Knipes report
condemning further coercive legislation, with a
part of General Buffers evidence. The Conserv-
atives assert that the Parnellites purposely diff
fused the error throughout the country to con-
fuse public opinion upon General Buffers genu-
inc evidence.
The Pail Mall Gazette denies that yesterdays
statement was garbled version. The discrep-
ancy, it says, was a mere misprint. 1t is au-
thentic that General Butler said that in certain
localities in Kerry, Clare and Cork an organized
stand was being made against the payment of
existing rents, but that rents were generally
fairly well paid. A majority of the tenants, he
said, were anxious to pay, but wanted a reasona-
BILE allowance, while great many others who
did not require any allowance would pay if they
dared. He feared intimidation was rampant in
the country. The people, he said, had sympa-
thy with the National League because they
thought it was their salvation. The bulk of the
tenants had told him that the reduction of rents
and the staying of evictions were directly due to
the operations of the League They believed
that nobody did nything for the tenants until
the League was established. He said it was no
longer possible to enforce legal obligations in
that part of the country.
Question-That hardly looks as if the law was
all for the rich.
General Buller-The lava There is not much
law there. A short time ago, what law there
was was really the side of the rich.
General Butler further said that the act OF
1881, which was intended to remedy this state of
affairs, had been failure He was not pre-
pared to say whether the failure was due to the
opposition of the League to the fall in prices.
The Parnellites and Gladstonians rely upon
| General Buffers evidence to support their de-
| mand for the stoppage Of evictions, and the
| early production of land legislation.
The government was prepared, tonight, to
carry out plan for continuous sitting of the
House Of Commons until the first rule Of pro-
cedure should be settled. The Speaker being
|
was unable, at present, to assist in the stoppage
| of debate, and the government was accordingly
obliged to abandon its plan
| Serious differences the Irish question have
arisen among the Conservatives. Pressure has
been put upon the government not to introduce
a new land bill but to legislate in the direction
of land purchase only.
Lord Caledon, in speech at an orange dem
onstration at Benburb, County Tyrone, to day,
said that the Oraneemen also had their "Plan of
Campaign" Without counting the Loyalists of
the South, there were 10000 resolu.e fighting
| men who would never owe allegiance to any flag
but the union jack.
Captain Plunkett has left Cork for Youghal.
1t is supposed the object of his journey is to ar
rest Father Keller, who is said to be acting as
| tenants trustee under the "Plan of Campaign.